Open-heart surgical procedures typically are conducted under general anesthesia, during which the heart is stopped and blood flow is controlled by a heart-lung bypass machine. Such procedures are highly invasive and expose the patient to a number of potential risks, such as infection, stroke, renal failure, and adverse effects associated with use of the heart-lung machine, for example.
In contrast, using minimally invasive surgical approaches the heart is accessed through relatively small incisions, and without stopping the heart or use of a heart-lung machine. Difficulties concerning vessel opening, access, and closure involved with such procedures, however, have negatively impacted their utility. Thus, there is a need for improved methods and devices for vessel opening, access and closing for surgical procedures, including minimally invasive procedures on the heart.